The present invention relates to a gaming system and, more particularly, to a lottery/casino type gaming system.
Lottery/casino type games of chance have exhibited enduring popularity, because such games typically permit a player to make a relatively small wager by buying a ticket with a chance of winning a significantly large award. In addition to the entertainment value that such games provide for the players, these types of games typically provide a source of revenue for the operator, normally a lottery, but sometimes a municipality or a business establishment, or a casino.
One type of game system which has proven quite popular with players is the so-called “instant” lottery ticket games. In this type of game, the player purchases scratch-off tickets for a relatively nominal sum, with each ticket displaying gaming symbols, selected ones of which may correspond to award values. In a typical configuration, each ticket comprises a lamination of latex scratch-off material covering the gaming symbols. The game symbols are thus initially sealed, and are revealed by the player by “scratching-off” the latex material. The Gumina U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,109 is a good example of the above.
Another type of game system which has also proven very popular with players is a so-called “daily number” game. In this type of game, the player chooses, for example, 3 numbers from a field of 1,000 numbers, i.e., from 000 to 999. The lottery/operator will generate a ticket with the player's numbers on it, along with other information like the time and date. Typically, there is a bar code printed on this ticket for verification purposes.
Upon completion of the selling period for the game, the lottery/game operator will, for the example, randomly “draw” 3 numbers from the field of 1,000. Players then will match their chosen numbers with those drawn by the lottery/operator to see if there is a winning combination. It is worth noting that some people utilize a feature called, for example, the “quick pick”. In this instance, the lottery/game operator randomly picks the numbers for the player at the time of purchase and before the drawing. The “quick pick” numbers are randomly generated by the lottery/operator terminal, and the ticket is printed for the customer at that time.
Additional related art is found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,733,385; 6,527,175; 6,599,187; 6,524,184; 6,572,107; 6,457,714; 6,435,500; 6,210,276; 5,718,432; 5,682,819; 5,657,991; 5,531,448; 5,158,293; 4,591,162; and 4,560,171; all incorporated by reference.
However, affording players an opportunity to win prize amounts in different ways, and at different times, enhances the entertainment value of a lottery game, and provides the lottery with additional products for sale, potentially increasing revenue. It has, therefore, been considered desirable to develop a new and improved lottery/casino games, and methods for playing such games.